Maine Senior FarmShare Information for Farmers

The Maine Senior FarmShare Program is administered through the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry. Please see below for more details on this program.

The Maine Senior FarmShare program application process for farmers has closed for 2018. The farmer application is typically posted mid-January each year and due mid-February. Farmer applications for 2018were due March 15, 2018. Farmers who wish to apply to be a participating farmer can find the farmer application to print and submit at the bottom of this page. The mailing address to submit the farmer application is printed on the second page application itself. Please read the Maine Senior FarmShare Program Guidelines and Information document before submitting an application. This document is also located at the bottom of this page.

As a farmer who has not previously participated in the FarmShare Program, please understand that share availability for new farmers is limited (and possibly not available) depending on our grant award dollar amount. New farmers are only considered after allocating shares to prior year farmers who wish to participate again for the upcoming year.

Share allocation to farmers follows the USDA procedure of distribution of SFMNP funds to previously participating State agencies. (I.e. the FarmShare program allocates available funds to keep prior year participating farmers at the level of shares they received the previous fiscal year if sufficient funds are available.) If funds are available after allocating to previous FarmShare farmers, new farmer applications are considered.

Allocation decisions are also based on a combination of many other factors in addition to the above procedure. These factors include a farm’s capacity and interest in providing shares; references; successful participation in prior years; the distribution of qualifying seniors around the state; the number of farms interested in participating; as well as total funds available.

There is always a possibility that a new farmer may be authorized later in the season. State agencies often receives a follow up grant award later in the season from USDA of prior year unused funds. If sufficient funds to authorize new farmers become available later in the season, a farmer who had not previously participated in the program may be contacted to find out if they are still interested in participating.

If you have questions, please call the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, Division of Agricultural Resource Development, Maine Senior FarmShare Program at 287-7526, or e-mail: donna.murray@maine.gov